Plunger device with triangular bell and cylindrical sleeve

ABSTRACT

An improved toilet plunger for unclogging drains, comprised of a handle and a plunger head with an upper generally triangular-shaped, collapsible bell portion and a lower generally cylindrical, flexible sleeve portion. The unique shape and configuration of the bell and sleeve portions enable the improved plunger device to displace clogs with fewer attempts, and to resist device deformation, inversion, rotation, and breaking of the seal during plunging.

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/639,613 filed on Mar. 7, 2018, the contents of which are incorporated herein in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a plunger for unclogging drains. The plunger includes a handle and a plunger head. The plunger head includes a generally triangular-shaped bell portion and a generally cylindrical sleeve portion.

BACKGROUND

Plungers are well known for unclogging drains such as those associated with a toilet. Traditional, generally circular-shaped plunger bells, can be ineffective for creating the necessary seal around both circular and trapezoidal toilet bowl drain openings to allow the pressure created by the plunger to be fully directed into the drain. Also, traditional plunger sleeves may not fit effectively into both round and trapezoidal drain openings while still maintaining the necessary seal. An improper seal between the plunger bell and the toilet drain may result in splash-back of contaminated water onto a user when the plunger bell is compressed, inversion of the plunger bell, and failure to clear the clogged drain.

Consequently, there exists a need for a universal plunger device that enables the user to create and maintain the appropriate seal for both circular and trapezoidal drain types, to maximize effectiveness of clog removal, and reduce likelihood of splash-back. There is also a need for an improved plunger device that accomplishes the foregoing objectives while preventing costly and time consuming repairs, and being easy and inexpensive to use and manufacture.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, the improved toilet plunger of the present invention comprises a handle, and a plunger head. The plunger head comprises a top portion for attaching the plunger head to the handle, and a generally triangular-shaped, collapsible bell portion having an upper end and a lower end. The upper end of the bell portion is fixedly attached to the top portion and the lower end of the bell portion defines a seal lip for engaging the inner surface of a toilet bowl. The plunger head further comprises a generally cylindrical, flexible sleeve portion fixedly attached to the lower end of the bell portion. The flexible sleeve portion is configured to engage the trap of a toilet. In one embodiment, the top portion, bell portion and sleeve portion are molded in one piece from natural or synthetic rubber.

In some embodiments, the bell portion of the toilet plunger is generally in the shape of an equilateral triangle with rounded corners. In some embodiments, the bell portion comprises a plurality of segments. In some embodiments, the sleeve portion has an upper concave portion and a lower convex portion.

Among the advantages of the invention is that the triangular shape of the bell portion creates a better seal for every type of toilet bowl opening or trap way. The bell portion covers both round and trapezoidal openings, minimizes or prevents splash-back during the plunging process, and maximizes the amount of liquid displaced through the drain during plunging. The taper of the lower convex portion of the sleeve creates a better seal for every type of toilet bowl opening or trap way. The sleeve blocks the toilet jets to prevent forcing liquid back into the toilet bowl during the plunging process, thereby maximizing the pressure and volume of the liquid displaced by plunging.

Other advantages and features of the invention become apparent in view of the following description of embodiments of the invention, which shall be understood not to be limiting and which will be explained below with reference to the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of one embodiment of the plunger of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the plunger head of the plunger of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the plunger head of the plunger of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the plunger head of the plunger of FIG. 1

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the plunger head of FIG. 4 through section 5-5.

FIGS. 6A-6D show the progressive deformation of the plunger head as downward force is applied to the plunger head.

FIG. 7 shows a cross sectional view of one embodiment of the plunger head with exemplary dimensions of the thickness of the plunger head.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the plunger 10 of the present invention. The plunger is comprised of a handle 12 and a plunger head 14. The handle 12 includes an elongated portion 15 having a proximal end and a distal end. A grip 17 may be provided at the proximal end of the plunger. The distal end of the plunger may include a threaded portion 19 for use in attaching the handle to a correspondingly threaded top portion of the plunger head as described below. Alternatively, the distal end of the handle may be attached to the plunger head using an adhesive, a friction fit, or by any other appropriate means known to those skilled in the art.

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the plunger head 14 is comprised of a top portion 13, a bell portion 16, and a sleeve portion 18. The top portion 13 may include threads corresponding to threads on the distal portion of the handle to connect the plunger head 14 to the handle 12. Alternatively, the handle may be connected to the plunger head by glue, friction fit or other means of attachment.

The upper end of the bell 16 is attached to the lower end of the top portion 13. The upper end of the sleeve 18 is attached to the lower end of the bell 16, whereby the sleeve 18 is in fluid communication with the bell 16. The bell 16 and sleeve 18 are comprised of a flexible material, such as natural or synthetic rubber, although the invention is not limited in this regard and any appropriate flexible material may be used. Use of a flexible material permits the bell 16 to collapse to force a fluid, such as water, into a drain, and further permits the sleeve 18 to conform to fit into both round and trapezoidal drain openings. In one embodiment, the top portion 13, the bell 16 and the sleeve 18 are integrally formed as a single unit from natural or synthetic rubber. Alternatively, the top portion 13, the bell 16 and the sleeve 18 can be separately formed and attached by any means known in the art, such as by glue.

The bell 16 of the plunger head 14 has a generally triangular shape and is collapsible. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the bell 16 is generally in the shape of an equilateral triangle having rounded corners. The generally triangular shape of the bell portion 16 covers both round and trapezoidal openings, minimizes or prevents splash-back during the plunging process, and maximizes the amount of liquid displaced by plunging. Compression of the bell 16 of the plunger head 14 forces fluid down the toilet trap to clear blockages, allowing the toilet to drain. The rounded triangular shape of the bell 16 and seal lip 20 improves the seal made when the seal lip 20 engages the surface of the toilet, thus maximizing the pressure of liquid displaced by plunging.

As shown in FIGS. 2-3, in one embodiment the bell portion 16 is comprised of a plurality of segments 28, 30, 32 and 40. The bell portion 16 may contain any desired number of segments. As shown in FIGS. 2-3, the segments may become progressively wider moving from the first segment 28 attached to the top portion 13 to the last segment 40. The last segment 40 of the bell portion 16 defines a seal lip 20 having a lower wall 21 that engages the surface of the toilet bowl to form a seal. As shown in FIG. 5, in one embodiment, the walls of first and second segments 28, 30 of the bell portion 16 are thicker than the wall of the third segment 32 of the bell portion 16. Also, the fourth segment 40, which defines the seal lip 20, is thicker than the third segment 32.

As shown in FIG. 7, in one embodiment, the thickness of the third segment 32 wall is approximately 3.8 millimeters at its upper potion, and approximately 5.0 millimeters at its lower portion where it meets the wall of the fourth segment 40. The wall thickness of the segments can varied to control the flexibility of the bell portion. As shown in FIGS. 6A-6D, in one embodiment, when a downward force is applied, the plunger bell folds where the walls are thinner, while areas with thicker walls remain rigid to provide stability. In one embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the thickness of the sleeve 18 immediately below the seal lip 20 is approximately 4.4 millimeters, and is approximately 2.6 millimeters at its lower portion where it meets the sleeve 18 opening. The invention is not limited in this regard, and each of the segments and the sleeve may be any desired thickness.

The inner surface of the bell portion 16 defines an interior space 48, which is designed for containing fluid to be forced through the toilet trap when the bell portion 16 is compressed by applying a downward force to the handle 12. The sleeve portion 18 comprises a wall 50 which defines an interior space 52 of the sleeve portion. The sleeve wall 50 is contiguous with the lower wall 21 of the bell portion 16 and the bell interior space 48 is in fluid communication with the sleeve interior space 52. The decrease in diameter between the bell 16 and the sleeve 18 produces an effect similar to a nozzle and forces fluid from the bell 16 through the sleeve 18 at an increased pressure to facilitate forcing debris through the trap of the toilet.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of the improved plunger device 10 in which the circular opening 26 of the generally cylindrical sleeve 18 is visible. In this embodiment, the sleeve 18 further comprises an upper or proximal, concave portion 24 and a lower or distal, convex portion 22 which forms a tapered end of the sleeve portion. The tapered lower end of the sleeve portion 18 contorts to fit both round and trapezoidal toilet drain openings, blocks the jets in the toilet to prevent forcing liquid back into the toilet bowl during plunging, and maximizes the pressure of the liquid displaced by plunging.

The length of the sleeve portion is selected to be long enough to seal the opening in the drain and block the toilet jet to prevent water from returning to the bowl or pressure loss during plunging. The sleeve portion is also selected to be short enough to leave a gap between the sleeve and the bottom of the toilet bowl so that the water directed out of the sleeve has enough clearance to remove any debris or blockage. In one embodiment, the sleeve portion has a length of approximately 71.5-73.5 millimeters.

Though generally smaller in capacity than typical plunger bells of the prior art, the bell portion 16 of the present invention displaces higher volumes of fluid and creates higher pressures relative to its size. The more efficient design of the bell 16 thus allows blockages to be cleared with fewer plunge attempts. The smaller bell 16 capacity is also advantageous in that it displaces a smaller volume of fluid when submerged, which is helpful in preventing overflow when plunging. Also, the smaller bell 16 is beneficial in that it is lighter and easier for a user to operate, requires less material to manufacture, and less storage space. In one embodiment, the bell capacity is approximately 1100 milliliters, which represents a reduction in capacity of about 33% over the prior art. Table 1 below provides test results comparing the plunger of the present invention to an exemplary prior art plunger:

TABLE 1 Prior Art Present Invention Plunges Required to Unclog 1 13 6 Plunges Required to Unclog 2 14 8 Pressure Generated (psi) 2.82 5.44 Displacement (L) 1.88 1.27

In use, the user inserts the plunger head 14 into the toilet bowl so that the sleeve 18 is inserted into the trap of the toilet. As shown in FIGS. 6A to 6D, as a downward force is applied to the handle 12 the plunger bell 16 compresses, thereby forcing the air and/or fluid in the plunger bell 16 through the sleeve 18 and into the trap to force the debris through the trap, thus allowing the toilet bowl to drain. As shown in FIGS. 6A to 6D, during compression of the plunger head 14, the plurality of segments 28, 30, 32, and 40 sequentially collapse. The triangular profile of the bell portion 16 of the plunger head 14 keeps the applied force along the central axis of the plunger device 10. Both the controlled flow of force through ordered depression of the plurality of segments 28, 30, 32, and 40, and the triangular profile of the bell portion 16 prevent the plunger head 14 from becoming unstable, rotating off its central axis, and/or breaking its seal with the drain opening. This process is repeated until the blockage has been cleared and normal operation of the toilet can resume.

While the above describes certain embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the foregoing description is not intended to limit the spirit or scope of the invention. It should also be understood that the embodiments of the present disclosure described herein are merely exemplary and that a person skilled in the art may make any variations and modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. All such variations and modifications, including those discussed above, are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A toilet plunger comprising: a handle, and a plunger head, wherein said plunger head comprises (i) a top portion for attaching the plunger head to the handle, (ii) a generally triangular-shaped, collapsible bell portion having an upper end and a lower end, wherein the upper end of the bell portion is fixedly attached to the top portion and the lower end of the bell portion defines a seal lip for engaging the surface of a toilet, and (iii) a generally cylindrical, flexible sleeve portion fixedly attached to the lower end of the bell portion, wherein the flexible sleeve portion is configured to engage the trap in a toilet.
 2. The toilet plunger of claim 1, wherein the bell portion is generally in the shape of an isosceles triangle having rounded corners.
 3. The toilet plunger of claim 2, wherein the bell portion comprises a plurality of segments.
 4. The toilet plunger of claim 1, wherein said plunger head is comprised of rubber.
 5. The toilet plunger of claim 1, wherein the sleeve is contiguous with the bell, whereby the sleeve is in fluid communication with the bell.
 6. The toilet plunger of claim 1, wherein the sleeve further comprises an upper concave portion and a lower or convex portion.
 7. The toilet plunger of claim 1, wherein the plurality of segments subjacent the top portion comprises four progressively wider segments.
 8. The toilet plunger of claim 7, wherein the plurality of segments comprises a first segment, a second segment, a third segment, and a fourth segment, with the fourth segment defining the seal lip where it meets the sleeve.
 9. The toilet plunger of claim 8, wherein the wall of the first and second segments of the bell is thicker than the wall of the third segment of the bell.
 10. The toilet plunger of claim 9, wherein the fourth segment is thicker than the first and second segments and further forms a protuberance which reinforces the seal lip.
 12. The toilet plunger of claim 11, wherein during compression of the plunger head, the plurality of segments collapse, beginning with the first segment, followed by the second segment, and then the third segment, in the order of least segment width to greatest segment width.
 13. The toilet plunger of claim 1, wherein the triangular profile of the bell portion of the plunger head maintains the applied force along the central axis of the plunger device during plunging. 